Mercenaries
by Naoko Kensaku
Summary: Yukina is kidnapped...again! This time she's been taken to the Ice Mountain, and one girl holds her key to freedom
1. Default Chapter

This is a one-shot story. Please read and review. As mentioned earlier, all of the information in this story is taken from books 3-18. Thank you!  
  
She was quick on her feet. As soon as she touched the ground, she had rolled into the house, looking for the Ice Maiden who was supposed to have 'run away' from her rightful place. Personally, she couldn't care less, but the money they offered was too good to turn down. It would also go a long way to helping them recoup their losses. She shook these thoughts away, concentrating instead on the job at hand. All she had to do was to get this girl into the Ice Palace and her job would be done.  
  
When she walked into the house, she felt a powerful and unfamiliar 'chi.' She knew immediately that there was no way the Ice Maiden could be that powerful, which meant that someone else who lived in this house was very powerful. She sent a probing thought, just enough to brush the mind of the unknown man. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found out that he was asleep.  
  
"Yukina! It's time for breakfast!" Shizuru called out. She had a scathing remark when her brother Kazuma came down, thinking that the idiot had kept the girl up last night.  
  
"Yukina's not down yet? But we went to sleep rather early last night," he said.  
  
Both of them suddenly bolted for the stairs and promptly got stuck. Their father stood at the top of the stairs, prudently moving to one side when the two of them managed to free themselves and bolted upstairs. They threw open Yukina's room, shocked to find room empty, neat but no Yukina inside. "Maybe she went out," Shizuru said. Kazuma was shaking his head. There wasn't even a note from her. To say that it wasn't Yukina's normal behaviour was a mass understatement. "I think you'd better tell Urameshi," she said.  
  
The order, understandably, came from Koenma, but no one had any idea why Yukina was missing. Even the intelligence agency of the Underworld had failed to turn up anything. It was then that Koenma turned to the absolute last resort. There was a group of mercenaries who had often been useful in the past three hundred years or so. There was nearly nothing they didn't know so he summoned their latest leader, a blond girl named, surprisingly, Sukina to an emergency meeting.  
  
When the beautiful young girl had reviewed the facts of the case, they heard a soft 'uh-oh,' from her. "What the hell do you mean, UH-OH?" Hiei and Kazuma asked belligerently. Kurama was sitting next to Urameshi, and both of them had a faint, amused look on their faces. Sukina then asked for the address of Kazuma's house, and it seemed to confirm something.  
  
"We have her on our files, all right, Koenma-sama. The thing is, what the person who had commissioned this job said was very different from what you've told me," she said.  
  
"What have you done with her?" Kazuma asked, fearing the worst.  
  
"She on her way back to the Ice Mountain. We'd investigate this person's background and there didn't seem to be any discrepancies," she said with a shrug.  
  
"Who was this person?" Kurama asked.  
  
Sukina thought for a while, biting her lower lip. She looked absolutely adorable and much younger than her actual age of eighteen. She frowned before answering. "This will cost you at least two thousand yen, Koenma- sama," she told him. The next thing they knew, Hiei was standing on the table, his katana out and pointed at Sukina's neck. His eyes were glittering dangerously as he asked in a slow, growling type of voice, "Who is it?" Sukina didn't even look perturbed. Instead, she just stared at him coldly. "If you kill me, you won't get the information you want. And if you kill the only other person who knows where Yukina is, you'll never get her back," she said in a cold voice.  
  
"Hiei," Kurama said softly.  
  
The jagan backed down, but he muttered a soft string of oaths. To their surprise, Sukina too unleashed a soft string of oaths, all apt to describing the jagan in front of her. To Urameshi and Kurama's amusement, Hiei turned pale at the oaths. Sukina smiled pleasantly and then told Koenma, "I'll tell you who the person is in exchange for three thousand yen." Koenma sighed, but Yuusuke's mouth was open wide enough for a beehive to go in. "Here," Koenma said, taking some money from the desk where he sat. Sukina nodded and counted the money before pocketing it. "No offence, Koenma-sama, but there have been some who chose to pay us less than the agreed price," she told him. Koenma merely nodded.  
  
"The person who commissioned this was a daughter of the Ice Maidens herself. She was acting on the orders of the High Council to bring back Yukina. From what I can gather, many of the Ice Maidens had followed Yukina's example and left the Ice Mountain. This girl, Yukino, was sent to gather them all and to bring them back to the Ice Mountain. Yukina is her last target but she hadn't been able to even get near her, so she decided to hire us and to wait for her at the Ice Mountain," Sukina said.  
  
"One of the Ice Maidens came to see you?" Kurama was startled.  
  
"Yes. It had something to do with their prophecy about the sanctity of the Mountain. I didn't get the whole story, but the gist of it is that someone came to the Mountain several years ago in a covert manner. They didn't even know he was there until they found one of the graves had been moved slightly. If I'm not wrong, they believe they must have all the Ice Maidens before they could perform some sort of ritual to purify the Mountain," Sukina said.  
  
"What's the ritual?" Kurama asked, not noticing that Hiei was already about to leave.  
  
She held up a hand. Turning to look at Hiei, she warned him not to go. "The only person who knows where Yukina is right now is my sister. She's the one who took her. She's not going to be easy for you to track down, especially in Makai. And if you fight with her, you may end up losing Yukina as well," she said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hiei said angrily. "All I have to do is get Yukina away from your sister," he said.  
  
"Yukina is now in a small crystal. I don't know where she puts the crystal, but only she knows how to retrieve a person who's been in it. If you try to do something foolish, you'll end up killing her," Sukina warned them.  
  
"Then what are we going to do?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Well, you could hire me to track down my sister, but it'll cost you. Or you could get a written document from me to prove you are who you say you are, but that'll cost you even more and there's no guarantee that you'll be able to track my sister down with this far of a head-start. The choice is yours," she said, smiling.  
  
"What's to prevent us from forging the document?" Kurama asked.  
  
Sukina smiled. "Nothing of course, but the exact payment is always on the paper and my sister wouldn't believe you if she didn't see it," she answered.  
  
"Well, what's it going to be?" she asked smugly.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kuwabara said.  
  
Yusuke nodded. Right now they were in a part of Makai that even Kurama didn't know about, and that was very rare. He knew, theoretically, where they were, but he wasn't acquainted with the terrain himself. "She made camp here," Sukina said, pointing to a small hole in the ground. "That doesn't look much like a fire," Kazuma disagreed, but Kurama had already figured out how Sukina was able to track her sister so easily. They had been at least three days' behind Naoko, but now it seemed they were only a few hours behind.  
  
"She's using her 'chi' to locate the remains of her sister. Since they're both obviously sisters, they share a common bond. It's not unheard of, but it's rare with siblings who aren't really twins," he said.  
  
Sukina had already moved forward, leaving them behind. Hiei had insisted on going on ahead, reaching the Ice Mountain already, but he wouldn't be able to do anything. The one thing Sukina had pounded into the volcanic rock Hiei used for a brain was that her sister was as powerful as him, if not more. That would at least make him hesitate, as before he had gone, Hiei had been forced to 'practice' with Sukina, and even if she didn't win, she had made him work up quite a sweat. She had been quick to point out that her sister was more powerful than her by a long range.  
  
That prompted Yusuke to ask a question while they were trying to catch up with Sukina's sister after they found the campsite. "How come you're the one in charge and not your sister?" he asked, as they began to follow an old track filled with thorns, thistles and other prickly bushes which Kurama had assured them weren't that dangerous. Sukina laughed a low rich vibrant sound that caught at one's throat.  
  
"My sister doesn't want me to be in danger. She's absolutely refused for me to even supervise any of the more 'dangerous' operations, but she lets me tag along on the ones she thinks I'll be of service. I can't say that I blame her. I'm an orphan and so's my sister. She's very protective of me. Besides, I have a much gentler hand than my sister, and when it comes to disciplining the girls, we don't need that gentle a hand. They're all loyal to her, and she's loyal to me, so I suppose that works out," Sukina said.  
  
"Isn't that sort of dangerous?" Kurama asked. "How do you know she won't betray you?" he asked.  
  
"Have you heard of the Karmai Soltise tie?" Sukina asked, wincing as one of the thorns grazed her arm.  
  
Kuwabara and Yusuke turned to look at her as though she was asking a stupid question. Kurama though, was nodding. "Then you explain it to them, Kurama- sama." Early on, Sukina had sensed the fox demon was a great deal shrewder than his companions. "It might make you understand why my sister has your friend in a crystal," she said, leaving them behind to scout ahead.  
  
Kurama explained to them, in plain terms, what Karmai Soltise meant. In Kuwabara's case, he made it extra simple for him. "So the Chinese believe that their mates are tied with a red thread, but it also applies to everyone else?" Yusuke said. Hiei snorted derisively, while Kuwabara listened. "Yes. Not anyone can see the threads, though. It's an ancient superstition, but it seems that there's some truth to it," he said.  
  
"You know, your philosophical argument is very interesting. Forget it jagan. I can move faster than you. Now, what price are you going to pay for me to set free your friend?" they heard another female voice, rougher than Sukina's but still feminine.  
  
Sukina sighed. She made a sign that Kurama realised meant that they shouldn't attack Naoko yet. The auburn-haired great was in many ways, darker than her blond sister, but there were some similarities. "Sit!" she told them, then turned to look at her sister. "I remember specifically telling you to stay at HQ. What happened?" she said roughly, but Yusuke caught something in her voice that was tender with her sister. "We've made a mistake. Yukino wasn't telling us the truth. Yukina chose to leave the mountain of her own volition, not that she had been kidnapped. Sister, we have to get Yukina back to Ninjen before Hiei decides to do something stupid," her sister warned.  
  
"Three-eyed demon? White hair at his bangs?" Naoko asked.  
  
Sukina nodded. Her sister started cursing again, making the three of them, Kuwabara, Yusuke and even Kurama blanch. Her choice of language was definitely not a lady's. "What now, Su? We've already taken their money. We can't give it back, not after what's happened," she said. Sukina nodded. Her eyes, though, were devious. She outlined her plan to her sister, before turning to look at Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara with an odd look. 


	2. The rescue

"This is stupid," Hiei was thinking to himself, but there was nothing he could do. He would not allow Yukina to go back to the Snow Mountain. He knew that Yukina loved that big oaf, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure she would be returned to that stupid Ninjen safe and sound.  
  
"You know, I've never met a Makai demon who could yet outsmart me," a voice was saying cheerfully.  
  
He peeped from his hiding place and saw Naoko walking with a tall, red- haired girl who could have passed off for Kurama's sister. This demon looked like a Ninjen, but her 'chi' pronounced quite strongly that she was a full-fledged demon. The girl was walking with Patricia stiffly, as though unsure. She didn't reply to her friend's claim. As they passed under Hiei's tree, the jagan tensed. Suddenly he found himself falling to the ground.  
  
"See what I mean?" Naoko was grinning, while Sukina was standing in front of Hiei with a long katana at his throat.  
  
The others slowly came out of the bushes. They restrained Hiei while Naoko and Sukina entered the Gateway to the Ice Mountain. After cursing ineffectively for a few minutes, Hiei calmed down enough to hear Kurama's explanation.  
  
"Only women can enter the city, you idiot! According to Sukina, the spell was enforced shortly after you paid your visit. Don't worry about Yukina. Those two are going to make sure that nothing happens to Yukina, but they're going to honour their part of the bargain with Yukino. We'll wait here until they return," Kurama told him.  
  
"Kurama… How did you manage to sneak up on me without me knowing?" Hiei asked with deceptive casualness.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea,' Kurama admitted, turning to Yusuke and Kuwabara, who also gave him blank looks.  
  
The Ice Spell came out of nowhere. Though the YYH gang wasn't effected, they could hear screams of terror and panic from the city. No one came out, though. They were about to investigate when several Ice Maidens came out bearing Patricia and Sukina. Yukina came out with them, looking worriedly at the two unconscious girls. Without a word, she ordered Hiei and the others to take the two Ninjen girls back to Ninjen for treatment. She would not explain what was going on, but returned to the Mountain instead. For some reason, Hiei and Kuwabara let her go. She had shared a short word with them before she left.  
  
Naoko and Sukina just seemed to be exhausted. Despite that, Kurama was still worried. They had not regained consciousness. Just before the Renkai Tantei reached the Gateway, three girls wearing black dresses appeared. When they saw Sukina and Naoko unconscious, one of them shouted and drew her weapon, a wicked looking sabre. Sukina awoke from where she had been lying unconscious on a stretcher slung between Kurama and Kuwabara. She said something in an ancient language to the three girls. They hesitated, but then Naoko not only awoke, but left her own stretcher. She walked slowly towards the three girls, silent. When she reached them, she spoke. Though they couldn't hear what she was saying, her voice carried. It was dreadfully silent and ominous. The three girls nodded, then stepped aside to let them through.  
  
"Make sure that my sister gets help. I'll stay here until the danger is past," she said. Yusuke noticed she was swaying a little.  
  
He motioned to the other three, staying behind with Naoko until they had entered the Gateway. After that, he took a quick step, pulling Naoko with him. Surprisingly, she didn't resist. The three girls, though, let out a cry of consternation. Naoko said something that made them scream all the more louder. As they journeyed through the Gateway, Naoko told Yusuke who they were. "Several years ago, me and my girls came across them. They're called Janioes. They are attracted to Ninjens who have unusual 'chi' like me and my sister. That's why you rarely see Ninjens who have so much 'chi' like you and Kuwabara. They tried to attack my squad, but they were soundly defeated. We reached an accommodation with them. Any Ninjen powerful enough who enters Makai and doesn't leave is theirs unless we are 'assigned' to track them down. They probably didn't attack you and the others before because you were too powerful," she explained.  
  
They landed outside the Gateway. Yusuke fell on his buttocks, recoiling from the pain, but Kurama had managed to catch Naoko. "Thank you, kitsune," she said, giving him a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. Sukina giggled. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei looked at the two of them in amazement. Sukina stood up slowly, but she was still weak. Hiei, who stood nearby, allowed her to use him as a crutch.  
  
"Who were they?" Sukina asked her sister.  
  
"Rumen's tame Janioes. Don't worry. They can't cross over. As for Yukina," she turned and gently let herself down, "She'll be back in a couple of days. We just had to make sure that she'd be able to make sure the Ice Maidens adapt to their new form of governing," Naoko said, leaning heavily on Kurama.  
  
Naoko didn't bother to elaborate until they were in Koenma's office. Sukina had been taken away for treatment, but Botan pronounced Sukina's elder sister fit. "In order to survive, we must be able to change and adapt. That's why Yukina's presence was necessary. The council did not realise that, so they wanted to keep everything the same. That's the reason why, following Yukina's departure, many of the Ice Maidens left. I guess that's why they wanted Yukina to lead them. She's the one who'd spent the most time in Ninjen," Naoko said.  
  
"What do you mean, change and adapt?" someone asked.  
  
Naoko looked patiently at Hiei. He was the last one she would have expected to ask such a question, but she answered it all the same. "No matter what you say, in order to survive, you have to improve your tactics and so forth, right?" she asked, to receive a somewhat reluctant nod. "It's the same for any government. The Ice Maidens' Council didn't see that what happened in Makai would also spill over to them, no matter how much they contrived to forestall it. When they got high-handed and became insensitive, that's when Yukina decided to leave. Not long after, the Ice Maidens began to leave. That's why Yukino was sent to find them. The rest, you already know," she said.  
  
"Now, what do you think is a good price for that explanation, Hiei-san?" she asked, leaning back comfortably against one of Koenma's chair. 


End file.
